Denny Hamlin reveals biggest changes he would make to NASCAR playoff format

Denny Hamlin believes there needs to be a myriad of changes to NASCAR’s current playoff format, and he’s laying out what he would do if he were in charge of making them.

The Cup Series veteran has a slew of ideas, and it’s certainly debatable whether or not the sport should implement them moving forward. On the latest episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin proposed changes like doubling playoff points, cutting the field down to 12 and adding a championship-deciding round, instead of a single race deciding the top dog.

“I think you should double all the playoff points. Just double everything,” Hamlin stated. “Instead of Kyle Larson going into the playoffs with 45 bonus points, he’s got 90. He earned it. … There’s many, many changes. I would love to see. Double all the playoff points, and then run it 10 races out. I don’t think we’re going to get rid of the elimination. I think that that’s probably here to stay. But do you reward the win-and-your-in? I believe the championship deserves a round. One race, it’s got to be the small sample size of all sports. Don’t tell me the Super Bowl’s one event. It’s one versus one, not one versus 36 in the Super Bowl. The championship deserves its own round.

“If I had to play it perfectly in my mind, it’d be 12 drivers, three races, three races, three races, three races. You know what I mean? So, I think I would double the playoff points. I think all the playoff points that you acquire during the regular season should be doubled, because it will really reward those that have excellence throughout the entire season. I think if you lowered the playoff field to 12, it would stop the P29 car for making the playoffs because they won a race. … I think that it really forces you to be on your game the entire season.

“What I’m really fighting for in this is, make the regular season great again, in the sense of like — make it matter, because for the last three years, the regular season had no bearing. The champion did very unimpressive things during the regular season. So, why would you tune in? If it’s proven, three years in a row, you don’t have to be good during the regular season, you can just get in. You can just be average at best. That’s been the formula that’s won it. Just get hot the last couple of races and you’re fine.

“That’s not, I don’t think that’s the right way to crown a champion in a sport where there’s so many variables.”

Some of Hamlin’s ideas are fascinating. NASCAR should consider them, and weigh the veteran’s input as they look to make adjustments for 2026. It certainly never hurts to consider the opinion of your top talent, and Hamlin has been around the block long enough to come up with some solid plans.

All told, NASCAR will likely be adjusting their playoff format after this coming season, and that’s music to the ears of many. Whether Denny Hamlin’s ideas are at the forefront remains to be seen, but it isn’t hard to see why they would be well received.